妙手仁心
文學城醫生寫手集體博客
正文
riverside
2010-05-15
動物保護主義者們，先不要砸我。現在沒有人活煮青蛙啦，這隻是一個傳說。簡單地說，活煮青蛙的說法講的是，如果把青蛙扔進熱水裏，它會跳出來。但是，如果把它放進冷水裏慢慢加熱，青蛙會傻乎乎地繼續待在那裏直到被煮死。故事的寓意是，如果人的處境逐漸變差，往往會不積極去改變，直到處境顯著變差甚至死亡。
比如，一個工人在工廠幹了 26 年，最有四年就可以退休拿退休金了。工廠方麵開始不斷挑他的毛病，找他的麻煩，增加他的工作量，希望把他擠走。這種手段是萬惡的資本家常用的，有點兒象我們中國說的軟刀子殺人，殺人不見血。有些老板很狡猾，剛把新人招進來時，不讓他們太難受，省得把他們氣跑了找別的工作去。等新人慢慢習慣了，老板就開始逐漸地降薪水，增加工作量，他們會繼續呆在這裏受煎熬而不跳出去。特別是在現在這種勞動力供過於求，高失業率的時代，做老板的更可以加快水溫上升的速度，不用太擔心青蛙會蹦出去。
現代生物學家認為活煮青蛙的理論隻是一個傳說。他們認為， 如果慢慢加熱，泡在水裏的青蛙是會跳出來的。但是，相傳 19 世紀有好事者做過實驗，證實這個理論是正確的，如果加熱進行得很慢很慢的話。 有趣的是，這麽簡單的實驗，現在幾乎沒有人能夠認真地做一次，用來證實或反駁 19 世紀的這個說法。有一些個著名大學的生物學教授憑自己的直覺和經驗就武斷地否定人家 19 世紀的實驗結果。說話不依據實驗結果，這在科學領域是很不尋常的事情。而讀者居然能聽之信之，不質詢實驗根據在哪裏，也很不尋常。
為什麽現代的科學家不肯做活煮青蛙的實驗，我覺得，原因有幾個，第一，這隻是一種比喻，一種說法，沒有必要較真到底青蛙被慢慢活煮時會不會跳出來。第二，這種實驗也太簡單了，做出來了也不能發表到有份量的雜誌上。一個成名的大科學家做這個實驗會被人笑掉大牙，一個剛起步的研究者做這個實驗會被人挑毛病。第三，這樣的實驗在科學界得不到好評，卻很可能會受到大眾，特別是動物保護人士的抨擊。
總結一下，活煮青蛙，如果加溫足夠慢，青蛙就會待在水裏知道被煮死，這隻是一個說法，不一定有實驗依據。就算有實驗依據，那也要保證加熱的速度足夠慢。但是，最重要的不是青蛙到底會不會被慢慢煮死，而是這是一個比喻。我們使用這個比喻來描述人對於環境的慢慢惡化不警惕，不反抗。我們所需要做的是，考慮一下自己作為一個個人，人類作為一個整體，是不是正處於一盆正在被緩慢加熱的水中。我們是不是應該跳出來，什麽時候跳，和怎麽跳。核武器競爭和 全球氣候暖化都是很好的例子，但是我就不在這裏展開討論了。
以下資料來自維基百科：
Biological background
Several experiments involving recording the reaction of frogs to slowly heated water took place in the 19th century. In 1869, while doing experiments searching for the location of the soul, German physiologist Friedrich Goltz demonstrated that a frog that has had its brain removed will remain in slowly heated water, but his intact frogs attempted to escape the water.
Other experiments showed that frogs did not attempt to escape gradually heated water. An 1872 experiment by Heinzmann demonstrated that a normal frog would not attempt to escape if the water was heated slowly enough, and this was corroborated in 1875 by Fratscher.
Goltz raised the temperature of the water from 17.5°C to 56°C in about ten minutes, or 3.8°C per minute, in his experiment which prompted normal frogs to attempt to escape, whereas Heinzmann heated the frogs over the course of 90 minutes from about 21°C to 37.5°C, a rate of less than 0.2°C per minute.[4] One source from 1897 says, "in one experiment the temperature was raised at a rate of 0.002°C. per second, and the frog was found dead at the end of 2½ hours without having moved."
In 1888 William Thompson Sedgwick explained the apparent contradiction between the results of these experiments as a consequence of different heating rates used in the experiments: "The truth appears to be that if the heating be sufficiently gradual, no reflex movements will be produced even in the normal frog; if it be more rapid, yet take place at such a rate as to be fairly called "gradual," it will not secure the repose of the normal frog under any circumstances..."
Contemporary experiments
Contemporary scientists have described the story as inaccurate. However, none have claimed to repeat (and invalidate) the specific 19th-century experiments that suggested that if the heating rate were gradual enough, the frogs would not attempt escape.
In 1995, Professor Douglas Melton, of the Harvard University Biology department, said, "If you put a frog in boiling water, it won't jump out. It will die. If you put it in cold water, it will jump before it gets hot — they don't sit still for you." Dr. George R. Zug, curator of reptiles and amphibians at the National Museum of Natural History, also rejected the suggestion, saying, "If a frog had a means of getting out, it certainly would get out."
In 2002 Dr. Victor H. Hutchison, Professor Emeritus of Zoology at the University of Oklahoma, with a research interest in thermal relations of amphibians, said that "The legend is entirely incorrect!” He described how the critical thermal maximum for many frog species has been determined by contemporary research experiments: as the water is heated by about 2°F, or 1.1°C, per minute, the frog becomes increasingly active as it tries to escape, and eventually jumps out if the container allows it.
2010-05-15
動物保護主義者們，先不要砸我。現在沒有人活煮青蛙啦，這隻是一個傳說。簡單地說，活煮青蛙的說法講的是，如果把青蛙扔進熱水裏，它會跳出來。但是，如果把它放進冷水裏慢慢加熱，青蛙會傻乎乎地繼續待在那裏直到被煮死。故事的寓意是，如果人的處境逐漸變差，往往會不積極去改變，直到處境顯著變差甚至死亡。
比如，一個工人在工廠幹了 26 年，最有四年就可以退休拿退休金了。工廠方麵開始不斷挑他的毛病，找他的麻煩，增加他的工作量，希望把他擠走。這種手段是萬惡的資本家常用的，有點兒象我們中國說的軟刀子殺人，殺人不見血。有些老板很狡猾，剛把新人招進來時，不讓他們太難受，省得把他們氣跑了找別的工作去。等新人慢慢習慣了，老板就開始逐漸地降薪水，增加工作量，他們會繼續呆在這裏受煎熬而不跳出去。特別是在現在這種勞動力供過於求，高失業率的時代，做老板的更可以加快水溫上升的速度，不用太擔心青蛙會蹦出去。
現代生物學家認為活煮青蛙的理論隻是一個傳說。他們認為， 如果慢慢加熱，泡在水裏的青蛙是會跳出來的。但是，相傳 19 世紀有好事者做過實驗，證實這個理論是正確的，如果加熱進行得很慢很慢的話。 有趣的是，這麽簡單的實驗，現在幾乎沒有人能夠認真地做一次，用來證實或反駁 19 世紀的這個說法。有一些個著名大學的生物學教授憑自己的直覺和經驗就武斷地否定人家 19 世紀的實驗結果。說話不依據實驗結果，這在科學領域是很不尋常的事情。而讀者居然能聽之信之，不質詢實驗根據在哪裏，也很不尋常。
為什麽現代的科學家不肯做活煮青蛙的實驗，我覺得，原因有幾個，第一，這隻是一種比喻，一種說法，沒有必要較真到底青蛙被慢慢活煮時會不會跳出來。第二，這種實驗也太簡單了，做出來了也不能發表到有份量的雜誌上。一個成名的大科學家做這個實驗會被人笑掉大牙，一個剛起步的研究者做這個實驗會被人挑毛病。第三，這樣的實驗在科學界得不到好評，卻很可能會受到大眾，特別是動物保護人士的抨擊。
總結一下，活煮青蛙，如果加溫足夠慢，青蛙就會待在水裏知道被煮死，這隻是一個說法，不一定有實驗依據。就算有實驗依據，那也要保證加熱的速度足夠慢。但是，最重要的不是青蛙到底會不會被慢慢煮死，而是這是一個比喻。我們使用這個比喻來描述人對於環境的慢慢惡化不警惕，不反抗。我們所需要做的是，考慮一下自己作為一個個人，人類作為一個整體，是不是正處於一盆正在被緩慢加熱的水中。我們是不是應該跳出來，什麽時候跳，和怎麽跳。核武器競爭和 全球氣候暖化都是很好的例子，但是我就不在這裏展開討論了。
以下資料來自維基百科：
Biological background
Several experiments involving recording the reaction of frogs to slowly heated water took place in the 19th century. In 1869, while doing experiments searching for the location of the soul, German physiologist Friedrich Goltz demonstrated that a frog that has had its brain removed will remain in slowly heated water, but his intact frogs attempted to escape the water.
Other experiments showed that frogs did not attempt to escape gradually heated water. An 1872 experiment by Heinzmann demonstrated that a normal frog would not attempt to escape if the water was heated slowly enough, and this was corroborated in 1875 by Fratscher.
Goltz raised the temperature of the water from 17.5°C to 56°C in about ten minutes, or 3.8°C per minute, in his experiment which prompted normal frogs to attempt to escape, whereas Heinzmann heated the frogs over the course of 90 minutes from about 21°C to 37.5°C, a rate of less than 0.2°C per minute.[4] One source from 1897 says, "in one experiment the temperature was raised at a rate of 0.002°C. per second, and the frog was found dead at the end of 2½ hours without having moved."
In 1888 William Thompson Sedgwick explained the apparent contradiction between the results of these experiments as a consequence of different heating rates used in the experiments: "The truth appears to be that if the heating be sufficiently gradual, no reflex movements will be produced even in the normal frog; if it be more rapid, yet take place at such a rate as to be fairly called "gradual," it will not secure the repose of the normal frog under any circumstances..."
Contemporary experiments
Contemporary scientists have described the story as inaccurate. However, none have claimed to repeat (and invalidate) the specific 19th-century experiments that suggested that if the heating rate were gradual enough, the frogs would not attempt escape.
In 1995, Professor Douglas Melton, of the Harvard University Biology department, said, "If you put a frog in boiling water, it won't jump out. It will die. If you put it in cold water, it will jump before it gets hot — they don't sit still for you." Dr. George R. Zug, curator of reptiles and amphibians at the National Museum of Natural History, also rejected the suggestion, saying, "If a frog had a means of getting out, it certainly would get out."
In 2002 Dr. Victor H. Hutchison, Professor Emeritus of Zoology at the University of Oklahoma, with a research interest in thermal relations of amphibians, said that "The legend is entirely incorrect!” He described how the critical thermal maximum for many frog species has been determined by contemporary research experiments: as the water is heated by about 2°F, or 1.1°C, per minute, the frog becomes increasingly active as it tries to escape, and eventually jumps out if the container allows it.
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